Senate bill would outlaw goods made by children

     Donrey Capital Bureau
      CARSON CITY -- Reacting to the national scandal over children making the Kathy Lee Gifford line of clothing, Sen. Mark James introduced a bill Thursday that outlaws the sale of goods made with the hands of children.
      Senate Bill 400 would made it a misdemeanor for any retailer in Nevada to sell goods produced by child labor.
      Retailers also must maintain records that identify the source of their goods and evidence from suppliers that they were not made unlawfully.
      While he knows of no Nevada child labor violations, James, R-Las Vegas, wants the state to be part of a national movement to fight child labor violations.
      He acknowledged the movement was spawned by revelations last year that a line of Gifford clothes sold in Wal-Mart were made by child labor in foreign counties.
      "People were sympathetic with the issue," he said. "They are very concerned we are not hacking products made from child labor. That's why the issue caught fire."
      James has received video tapes from Culinary Local 226 about the child labor problem that he will show in a coming legislative hearing. He said clothes, shoes and soccer balls are made with child labor.
      Under his bill, the attorney general's office and the local district attorneys would be responsible for ensuring products sold in Nevada are not made from child labor.
      Child labor remains a problem in California, particularly among migratory workers, according to James.
      "Child labor is not only child abuse, but it is a tremendous violation of the rights of the American worker," James said.
      He said "essentially slave" children are performing jobs that could be carried out by skilled American workers.